The Phoenix restaurant scene is flourishing more than ever. But, one component that is often overlooked is the valley’s epic lineup of food trucks. Here are some of our recommendations for must visit food trucks in Phoenix and the surrounding area’s.
Que Chevere
This food truck and restaurant is a stand-out, not only because of the quality and flavor of the food, but also because they are one of the few local places to serve Venezuelan cuisine. Founded by Maria and Orvid Cutler, Que Chevere whips up the classic Venezuelan food that Maria grew up with before moving to the United States. Arepas and other savory treats span the menu for both their food truck and the brick-and-mortar location in Downtown Mesa. The arepas are packed full of chicken, beef, or veggies, and are served with wonderfully crunchy plantain chips. The Caribbean focused food is a wonderful way for Maria to share her native culture with residents and visitors of Arizona. If you make it into their restaurant in Mesa, you must try the Patacon, a generous portion of beef and chicken sandwiched between two smashed and fried plantains.
check out our podcast with que chevere
L’Impasto
L’Impasto translated from Italian means “the dough,” which is what Chef Matthew Asaro, owner and operator of L’Impasto food truck, specializes in. His pasta and wood-fired pizzas are made entirely from scratch. Matt has made a career out of cooking, but when I first met him, he was just getting his feet wet with his first food truck. What I enjoy most about all of my experiences with Matt is that for starters, he knows his stuff and makes an incredible pie, but also he is super friendly, professional, and always makes time to have some enthusiastic conversation with anyone around. The L’Impasto food truck can be found all over the valley, not sticking to just one region. However, on my most recent visit, I caught him at Hair of the Dog taproom in Gilbert. What they had in store on the menu that day, I was not ready for. Pizza number one was named Brussel Crow; a blend of garlic, herbs, olive oil, basil, bacon, Brussel sprouts, pesto, fresh mozzarella, ricotta, lemon preserves, and turmeric aioli. This pizza was an absolute game changer. For one, I typically stay on track with more traditional pizzas, but this changed my entire thinking. It was absolutely electric and I recommend trying it. The second pizza was right up my alley. Hilariously named “The Horny Goat” it combines tomato sauce, garlic, mushrooms, basil, fresh mozzarella, a lot of goat cheese, salami, sweet and spicy chili, and honey. This one was a knockout. Matt makes pizza and all of his food with passion and the pursuit of a perfect meal. He enjoys making people smile and his gift to this world is how he does that, through pizza and conversation. If I were you, I’d be on the lookout for this truck, or should I say trailer, as L’Impasto is looking to unleash a brand new, custom-built monster of a food truck trailer in the very near future!
Randizzle’s
“While others make it HOT, we make it SIZZLE!!” That is the slogan of the widely recognized burger truck Randizzle’s. The truck is locally owned and operated by former Arizona Rattler legend, Randy Gatewood. My first impression of the truck came from viewing their Instagram page, which set a high bar of expectations, to say the least. You can catch Randizzle’s burger truck at events all across the valley and on this day I met him at the Queen Creek festival. Randy was kind enough to give me a heads up to get there a little early, as the lines can tend to get a little long. As soon as I met Randy, I was immediately drawn into his infectiously friendly personality. He is filled with passion beyond belief and loves what he does. You can see it in the way he takes care of his truck and his guests. I ordered a peanut butter jelly, bacon, and cheese double burger, topped with an onion ring on a pretzel bun. It floored me with how delicious this burger was. Every flavor element of the burger itself came out with this incredible blend. It was a delicious showing of two American flavor profiles crashing together. I ate the whole thing and regretted none of it! Randizzle’s has an enormous following and now it’s clear why. If you have never been you need to, and if you have been before, I have great news: rumor has it, by the end of summer Randy will be opening his first brick and mortar location!
Random AF Taqueria
This popular food truck specializes in Birria, but all of their tacos and food options are to die for! RandomAF Taqueria is backed by a passionate and humble owner, Enrique. His story of the food truck is one of humble beginnings and one that paints a story of a resilient food truck owner, who had to pivot career goals as COVID’s wrath swept its way through our state in 2020. Enrique began his journey into the food truck business while he provided local to-go taco nights in his community during the lockdown. His food, and more specifically his birria, was catching such rave reviews that with the encouragement of his family he decided to launch what we know today as RandomAF Taqueria. For myself, a novice to Mexican cuisine, I was unacquainted with birria, but enough in the know to know it’s become very popular in recent couple years. Birria can be made a variety of ways, but Enrique at RandomAF describes it as a slow braised, shredded beef, cooked in Guajillo Chili (also known as Estilo Guadalajara). Enrique’s food truck has become very popular in the social media foodie world, so I was very excited to take on this special assignment. I was even more excited that I could catch him at my favorite Mesa taproom, Chupacabra. As Enrique began setting up for the night you could begin to see the patrons of Chupacabra and members of the nearby neighborhood huddling around the truck eagerly awaiting the opening. Once I got to the window, I ordered 2 tacos, and the birria grilled cheese. What I didn’t know at the time was that Enrique had a secret menu item he was preparing for me as well; a birria mexican pizza! All of the food was incredible. Rich, gooey, cheese that stretched for days paired with the spicy, savory, birria. It made for quite the experience and each item provided something different for those a fan of texture. The grilled cheese had crunchy, perfectly charred bread. The tacos and Mexican pizza had warm, fluffy flour tortillas. My visit was truly an incredible experience and one I won’t soon forget. My recommendation is come hungry!
Goat and Ram
Goat and Ram is a must try pizza and was my highest rated food truck pizza in the valley for 2023. The crust, which everyone raves about, has a fantastic crunch, lightly charred, with an incredibly airy and fluffy inside. Goat and Ram is constantly changing their food truck menu week in and week out, with some classics and also some very fun and creative pizzas. My favorite topping by far is the candied jalapenos! Goat and Ram pizza truck has a weekly stop at Chupacabra Taproom in Mesa, which is an absolutely electric blend of pizza, local craft beer, and vibes. The two forces are combining and are in the beginning stages of a business partnership that will become Arizona’s newest brewery. That brewery will feature the Goat and Ram pizza we all love at a permanent brick and mortar home. The location is set to take over the old Desert Eagle Brewing Company in downtown Mesa.
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Written by Steven Larson
Photography by Luke Irvin